


sunsets and secrets

by rosebud1000



Series: The Love Square [1]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir Purrs, Angst, Anxiety, Connected Drabbles, Drabbles, Eventual relationship, Eventual reveal, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, LadyNoir - Freeform, Marinette Dupain-Cheng Needs a Hug, Pre-Relationship, Slow Burn, Tikki Ships It (Miraculous Ladybug), pre-reveal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-06
Updated: 2020-05-28
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:27:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 42
Words: 15,589
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23516908
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rosebud1000/pseuds/rosebud1000
Summary: After Chat helps Ladybug through a panic attack, she can't help but see it as a chance to strengthen their friendship. But friendship is the best basis for romance, after all. Featuring fluff, angst, and me adding drama where I see fit.Some connected Ladynoir drabbles to get me through the quarantine.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Series: The Love Square [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1764616
Comments: 113
Kudos: 322





	1. the beginning

**Author's Note:**

> I have no idea how long this is going to be. Also, there may or may not be a reveal. We'll see. This is partly to add some variety back in the midst of Adrinette April. As much as I love them, I want superhero drama! Be warned of a panic attack in this first one, though it's not the narrator.
> 
> Also: this one is Adrien's POV but all the other ladynoir stuff I've written is Marinette's POV, so be expecting more of that in the future.
> 
> Anyway, enjoy!

Chat Noir landed just as his transformation dropped. Plagg tumbled into his palm, and he placed the kwami back in his shirt so he could eat. Adrien leaned against the dumpster. Finding places to transform is hard, so often they ended up like this-- separated by a dumpster or tree, or even just closing their eyes if they need to refuel in the middle of a fight.

Today, they ended up in a neighborhood neither of them knew well, far from the Seine and Eiffel Tower. This was the only alley they could find without cameras, so even though the fight is over, they’re on opposite sides of a dumpster, wondering how they’re going to leave without the other seeing. Adrien would probably have to transform so he could get back home.

Ladybug hadn’t said anything, which was odd. Normally, she’d make sure he’s okay, or rant to him about the akuma, before saying good-bye. He heard something, though. A bit of sniffling, it sounded like. Was she crying?

“My lady?” he asked. She didn’t answer, but the crying got louder. “Are you okay?”

“I’m-- I’m okay,” she said, her voice cracking.

“No you’re not," he said. “Can you-- can you retransform?”

She sniffed again, then whispered, “Spots on.”

“Claws out.” Adrien ran around the dumpster. Ladybug was sitting in the corner, her head buried in her knees. She was shaking, her breathing sharp and uneven. She looked so small, so unlike the Ladybug he’s used to. Adrien didn't know what to do. He’d had panic attacks before, but never had to comfort someone having one. He tried to remember what Nathalie told him, and the psa they watched in class at the beginning of the year.

“Hey, it’s okay,” he said. She looked up at him, tears dried on her mask. “We defeated the akuma.”

He sat next to her. “Deep breaths. In and out.” He took a few deep breaths himself, showing her what to do. And if he remembered correctly, people tend to subconsciously match their breathing to someone they’re with.

Ladybug nodded, taking a breath that’s as deep as she could through the tears.

“Do you want a hug?”

In response, she scooted closer to him, and he wrapped her carefully in his arms. She was still shaking, but her breathing already felt more normal. Something in Adrien’s chest rumbled. He felt his face go hot. It’s bad enough that he can actually purr, but now was _really_ not the time. He didn’t _like_ the fact that Ladybug was crying, even if it did lead to him cuddling her like this. He couldn’t control the purring, though, and it just got louder.

“Sorry,” he said, interrupting the purr.

“Don’t stop,” Ladybug mumbled, pressing herself closer to him. “It’s nice.”

“Oh-okay.” Adrien didn’t say anything, just let her stay leaning against him. His chin was just above her head-- if he moved, he’d bump her. 

Too soon, Ladybug was freeing herself from his embrace. She stood, then pulled him up by his hand.

“Thank you,” she said, keeping her eyes on the ground.

“If you want, you can always talk to me, you know,” he said.

“I know.”

“Good.” He nodded. They both stood there for a minute, unsure of what to say next.

Ladybug broke the silence. “I have to go.”

“Yeah, me too.”

“Patrol tomorrow?”

“I’ll see you there.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *edited to past-tense april 20*


	2. a swing around paris

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ladybug decides it's time for Chat Noir to experience a yoyo-swing across Paris.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hahaha i have so many fluffy, angsty, ladynoir ideas. i have one written that happens much later in this semi-connected strand, and was the inspiration (?) for the title.
> 
> But for now, Chat enjoys the view of Paris, and Ladybug enjoys the view of Chat. Enjoy!

Ladybug balanced on the chimney of an apartment building, waiting for Chat Noir. He wasn’t late; she was early. Partially because she couldn’t spend another minute drawing parabolas, and partially because she was excited to see him. Yes, she had just seen him yesterday, but that was an akuma attack, and they couldn’t exactly hold a conversation during it.

“Evening, my lady,” Chat Noir said, appearing from behind her. Marinette spun around to face him. He had a hand outstretched and was clearly about to take hers. She kept it firmly at her side. He lowered his hand.

“It’s nice to see you, minou,” she said.

“I’ve heard I’m quite the _cat_ ch.”

Marinette didn’t answer the pun. Instead, she unhooked her yoyo, giving it a small spin. “Wanna go for a swing?”

“A what?”

“Well, it occurred to me you’ve never swung around on it, aside from during fights, and that’s hardly the time for sightseeing. So. Wanna go for a swing?” 

She extended an arm to him. He hesitated, then placed a hand on her shoulder. She wrapped her arm around his waist, pulling them hip-to-hip. After making sure he wasn’t going to fall (she wasn’t going to drop him), she flicked her yoyo into the night. It hooked on the Eiffel Tower, and she jumped.

The sky was streaked with gold and purple, the remains of the night’s sunset. Lights glimmered in windows, the Champs-Elysee bustling with tourism. Marinette was used to this, so instead of watching Paris, she watched Chat. 

She was holding him, fully supporting his weight--an easy task thanks to Tikki. He was pressed against her, his warmth passing through their suits and to her skin. His eyes were wide, his hair blown back by the wind. And maybe it was just from the air whipping around them, but he looked breathless. 

She really should’ve been paying at least a little attention to their surroundings. This was made obvious when they crashed into the railing on the Eiffel, instead of landing upright on the deck. They tumbled over each other, and Marinette found that she was pinning Chat Noir to the ground.

“Sorry,” she said, standing up. “I am so sorry, Chat, I--” She pulled on her yoyo string, trying to find the yoyo. Any progress Chat had made attempting to stand was immediately negated by the string, which was somehow wrapped around his ankle. Ladybug stared in horror as he fell, yet again with her at fault.

“I’m fine,” Chat said, finally winning the fight to stand.

“I am so sorry,” Marinette repeated.

Chat leaned against the railing. “That was beautiful.”

“Paris is beautiful.” Marinette joined him, looking up at the sky, where stars were beginning to shine.

Chat looked at her like there was something else he wanted to say. She waited, but he didn’t say it, so she continued. “The first time I did that I screamed the whole time.”

“I heard you.”

Marinette smiled. Of course he had. It’s not often a girl on a yoyo crashes into you.

“Thank you,” he said, “for that wonderful ride. But we should probably start patrol now.”

“Yeah,” Marinette said. “Probably.”


	3. lady frosting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> cupcakes

“You made these?” Chat looked ridiculous: he had purple frosting smeared on his face and a half-eaten cupcake in one hand. He sat with his feet dangling over the edge of a building. Marinette was next to him, her legs crossed. Even with the superpowers, she could never bring herself to sit with her feet dangling hundreds of feet above any solid surface.

“I’ve already told you twice that I did,” she said, placing an empty wrapper in the pastry box she’d brought the cupcakes in.

“But they’re  _ so _ good.”

“You find it hard to believe I can make good cupcakes?”

Chat sputtered, trying to think of some way to untwist his words.

Marinette laughed and shook her head. “It’s fine, minou.”

“When we defeat Hawkmoth will you teach me how to make such amazing, fluffy, wonderful--”

“Yes,” Ladybug said. “The first thing I’ll do after we take his miraculous is drag you to my house and make cupcakes.”

Chat Noir sighed. “That sounds batter-ly splendid, my lady.”

Marinette picked up another cupcake and started peeling off the wrapper. “It’s all in the frosting, you know. You can have a dry cupcake but good frosting makes it hard to tell. And always use a meringue frosting. American buttercream is a sad excuse for a frosting.”

“What kind of frosting is this?”

“Swiss meringue buttercream. I would’ve made Italian, but… that doesn’t always go as planned for me.”

“What about French buttercream?” Marinette would’ve been willing to bet he wasn’t sure of the existence of such a buttercream.

“It’s custard-based, not meringue. Which is kind of funny, because French chefs figured out how to whip egg whites and never did anything else with an egg ever again.” Marinette bit into the cupcake, the frosting melting perfectly on her tongue. “Guess they needed something to do with all those extra egg yolks.”

“How and why do you know so much about frosting?” Chat reached for another cupcake. There were only a few left--at the rate they were eating, Paris would have to deal with two sugar-crashed superheroes in the morning.

“Let’s just say I got bored,” Marinette said.

Chat grinned. There was still frosting smeared on his face. “Due to your extensive knowledge on this subject, I deem you Lady Frosting.”

“Lady Frosting?”

“Yes. Lady _ bug _ is so overrated.”

“So I’ve heard.” Marinette leaned over. “You’ve got frosting on your face.”

“Really?” Chat wiped at his face. “Did I get it?”

“Yeah, you got it.”

“It’s late.”

“We should get home. Do you want the cupcakes?” Marinette held out the box, which now only contained two cupcakes.

Chat frowned. “I better not. Save them for your kwami, she likes sweets, right?”

Ladybug closed the box. “Yes, she does. And now all I’m going to hear about for the next week is how nice Chat Noir is for saving her cupcakes.”

“Tell her I appreciate the talking-up.” Chat stood, and Ladybug did the same.

“I’ll see you soon,” Ladybug said.

“I look forward to it, Lady Frosting.” He hopped off the roof, leaving behind a laughing Marinette.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> please excuse my terrible pun, i spent hours trying to think of a better one.


	4. there's something there

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette reflects on her growing friendship with Chat Noir; Tikki uses Disney to try and convince Marinette she's falling for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Something a little different this time, just Marinette thinking about Ladynoir.

Something had changed between Ladybug and Chat Noir. It was undeniable. They were better friends, Marinette thought. They’d been friends before; she trusted him with her life on a near-daily basis. And they’d talked, sometimes. Little things here and there, how stressed Marinette was about a commission (though she was careful to avoid details), how Chat  _ needed _ to get out of his house some nights.

Marinette moved two pieces of pinned-together fabric carefully to her sewing machine. She was making a jacket for Alya, whose birthday was soon.

“Can I pick the music?” Tikki asked, already about to take Marinette’s phone.

“Go ahead,” Marinette said. She’d made the mistake of introducing Tikki to Disney a few months ago, and now it was all Tikki would play when given control over the music.

The media hadn’t yet caught on to the superhero’s renewed friendship. Marinette went to school every day expecting Alya to be raving about it, but had so far been pleasantly surprised. Perhaps that’s what happened when you convinced yourself there was chemistry where there wasn’t: you became blind to any actual changes in the relationship.

Marinette paused the sewing machine, turned a corner in the seam, and pressed the foot pedal again. Tikki was taking a long time to choose a song, it was still quiet save the sewing machine.

And Chat Noir gave the best hugs. He was always warmer than her, and taller by enough that he could rest his chin on the top of her head. They hugged a lot more now, and Marinette got the impression it was for his benefit as well as hers. From what he’d told her, she knew his civilian life wasn’t the greatest. He didn’t answer any of her questions, citing his identity, though Marinette thought he just didn’t want to talk about it. He’d offered to cuddle, too, and Marinette had taken him up on it once. There was something comforting about sitting on a rooftop with him, feeling his purring everywhere their suits met.

There was the possibility that Marinette was beginning to fall for him. The more she thought about it, the more she realized it was there. And some part of her wanted him to know. Not in the way she’d wanted to tell Adrien-- she’d wanted to tell him, and date him. The part of her that wanted to tell Chat just wanted him to know.

Tikki finally stopped fiddling with her phone and pressed play. Marinette fought a sigh when she heard the song. Tikki must’ve known what she was thinking about; she’d been pushing Marinette to talk about it with her for the past two weeks.

_ there’s something there that wasn’t there before. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i've been listening to disney in french for online classes, and so this happened. (ps go listen to let it go/liberee, delivree in french its beautiful)


	5. nonexistent lunch

“Bien joué”

Ladybug and Chat Noir turned to the akuma victim, who looked bewildered. Any would be, after they'd rampaged Paris with cotton balls. Much to Adrien's delight, the man's hair and eyebrows were a good match for his weapon.

“I’m sorry,” he said, rising to his feet. His hair shook as if it was its own separate being.

“It’s not your fault,” Ladybug reassured him. She was always so comforting to akuma victims; it was one of the things he admired about her. Even if she had just a minute left, she found time to spare at least a hello.

“Is that someone you know?” Adrien asked, waving a hand towards a woman running to them.

“Yes, that is!” The man started walking to her. “Margot!”

“He looks like he’ll be okay.” Adrien turned back to Ladybug. She was frowning at her yoyo.

“I missed my lunch,” she said. “Again.”

Adrien glanced at the time on his baton. “Me too. How about you recharge and then we meet for lunch?”

“I really shouldn’t skip any more school,” she said. “Otherwise, I’d love to.”

“Yeah, I probably shouldn’t skip more either.”

“Maybe some other time.”

Adrien’s heart skipped a beat. “What?”

“It wouldn’t be too bad to hang around a bit after an attack. And I normally am pretty hungry after one. So if there’s an attack and neither of us have somewhere to be afterward… why not?”

Adrien nodded, unable to speak. All of Chat Noir’s cool responses had left him.  _ It’s not a date, _ he reminded himself.  _ She loves someone else. We’re just friends, and I’m okay with that. _

Ladybug’s earring beeped. “I gotta bug out,” she said, readying her yoyo. She gave Chat a last look, a smile gracing her lips. Maybe Adrien was imagining things, but her cheeks seemed a little pinker than usual. He wasn’t naive enough to convince himself that his lady was falling for him. But when she looked at him like that, like maybe she was… he was having trouble keeping those thoughts at rest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yay!! more adrien pov! his lady loooves him~


	6. sleepy chat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ladybug finds Chat Noir taking a catnap on a roof.

Marinette swung over the city, scanning to roofs for Chat Noir. She'd seen him out about an hour ago, but since there wasn’t an akuma, she’d waited for the end of the lunch rush before leaving the bakery. She wasn’t sure if he was still out.

She landed on a rooftop, bringing her yoyo back to her hand. Chat hadn’t responded to her call yet. She walked across the roof, ready to assume he’d gone back home and do the same herself. Marinette’s eye caught on something black sticking out from the other side of a chimney. It almost looked like Chat’s tail, she thought, as she approached to investigate.

It was Chat’s tail, she soon discovered. He had fallen asleep leaning against the chimney, hidden to passers-by on the street below. His hair looked like gold in the sunlight, swaying in the summer breeze. He’d brought his knees up to his chest, his arms wrapped loosely around them. Marinette smiled; her partner looked so peaceful.

She didn’t want to wake him up, so she sat down carefully across from him. When Chat was out for something other than an akuma or patrol, it was often because he needed a break from his civilian life. If he wanted to talk about it when he woke up, she should be there for him.

She opened her yoyo, pulling out a sketchbook and a handful of colored pencils. She’d reserved the sketchbook for Ladybug, only using it when she was transformed. It was mostly filled with doodles and drawings of Paris. There were some clothing designs, which she copied into Marinette’s sketchbook at home.

Today, she just wanted to doodle while she let Chat Noir sleep.

Several half-hearted attempts at flowers later, Marinette set down her pencil. She looked back up at Chat. This was the most relaxed she’d ever seen him. Her fingers hovered over the pencil. It only took a few strokes to start his outline, a stick figure light on the paper. She’d drawn Chat before, but only as a silhouette against the sunset, never this close or detailed.

His ear twitched, and Marinette laughed. He really was like a cat. She continued the drawing, adding the shadows to his suit.

“What time is it?”

Marinette jumped. She hadn’t seen him wake up, she’d been so focused on drawing his hair.

“It’s, um, 14h30, I think,” she said, collecting the pencils that had spilled out of her lap.

“Aw.” Chat rubbed his head where it’d been resting on the chimney.

“Why? Did you miss something? Should I have woken you up? I’m sorry--”

“It’s fine, Bugaboo. I was just surprised I’d been asleep that long.”

“Oh.” Marinette pushed the pencils she was holding back into her yoyo.

“What’s that?” Chat leaned forward to see her sketchbook. Marinette covered the drawing with her arm, hoping he didn’t notice her blush.

“Nothing.”

Chat’s green eyes narrowed at her, suspicious. “Were you drawing me?”

“N-no.” She hugged the sketchbook closer to her.

“Can I see?”

Ladybug looked down.

“Please?”

“Oh, alright, I was drawing you,” she said, shoving the sketchbook into his hands.

“Woah,” he breathed, his eyes locked on the drawing.

Marinette leans over, studying the picture with him. She’d focused on keeping the highlights bright, but instead of looking like he’s lit by the sun, it looks like he’s glowing. If she’d been drawing anything else, she would’ve wanted to fix it. But she wants to keep it like that. It’s perfect.

“Is that really what I looked like?”

“Not exactly.”

“Can I keep it?”

“I’m not finished yet,” she said, taking it back from him.

“Can I have it when it is?”

Marinette closed the sketchbook. “Yeah, you can.”

“Thank you, my lady.” Chat grabbed his baton from his back. “Patrol tomorrow?”

“Tonight,” she corrected.

“I’ll see you then.”

Marinette watched him jump away. She put the sketchbook back in her yoyo. If she worked quickly, she could finish the drawing before patrol and give it to him then. He was a speck in the distance as she threw her yoyo toward the bakery. She’d probably take a picture of the drawing before giving it to him. She didn’t want to forget how peaceful her kitty had looked as he slept.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ladynoir is great.


	7. messenger pigeons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> adrien uses plagg to send a note to marinette. tikki takes the chance to tease.

“Marinette~” Tikki sang, infuriatingly happy at such an early hour.

“What?” Marinette said, stuffing her notebooks into her book bag.

“Plagg brought this by last night.” Tikki dropped a folded piece of paper on the desk. “Complained the whole time, too. He says to tell your boyfriend that kwamis are  _ not _ messenger pigeons.”

“Tell Plagg that Chat is  _ not _ my boyfriend.” Marinette grabbed the note.

“What’s it say?”

Marinette used her hand to shield it from Tikki’s view. She smiled, ignoring the heat creeping up her cheeks. Chat Noir was  _ not _ her boyfriend.

“Please can I see?” Tikki said, flitting around Marinette’s head.

“Oh, alright.” Marinette held out the paper.

_ Lady Frosting, _

_ I have decided that your treats are the best I have ever had. I will accept sugar from you in any form without question. Thanks for indulging my sweet tooth! _

“Aww, that’s so sweet,” Tikkie cooed. “And he always leaves something behind for me. I never would’ve gotten those almond cookies last night if it hadn’t been for him.”

“Yeah…” Marinette folded it back up, then tucked it under her sewing machine. She reached for a pen. “Tikki?”

“What?” Tikki had a mischievous grin on her face, her antennae shot straight up from her head.

“Just this once?” Marinette waved the pen, her eyebrows raised.

“What do you want me to do?”

“You know exactly what I want.”

“Say it.” Tikki was getting way too much enjoyment out of this.

Marinette sighed. “Tikki, will you deliver a note to Chat Noir for me,  _ just this once? _ ”

“Yes, I will. Write away, Juliet.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More Marinette & Tikki friendship slipped into my ladynoir! Now to write some Adrien & Plagg...


	8. (not) just friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ladybug has a gift for Chat.

For once, Ladybug had shown up for patrol earlier than Adrien. As quick as she was getting to akuma attacks, she was almost always late for patrol. And Adrien was almost always early, constantly looking for an excuse to get out of his house. But today, she was sitting on the Arc de Triomphe waiting for him.

“My lady?”

“Chat!” She jumped to her feet, bouncing on her toes.

“Okay, I know I’m gorgeous, but why the excitement?”

Ladybug  _ laughed,  _ actually laughed at his comment. She also rolled her eyes, but Chat was willing to ignore that.

“Well-- um,” Ladybug went completely still, her face reddening.

Adrien stayed quiet, letting her take her time. Thanks to Marinette, he’d gotten good at dealing with stuttering girls.

Ladybug stopped stammering and held out her yoyo. Chat stared at it, unsure of what to do. Was she offering it to him? Should he take it? Ladybug’s eyes went wide when she realized she hadn’t completed whatever action she’d been intending. She opened up the yoyo, pulling it back to herself as she did.

She reached into the glowing void. “You’re kinda my best friend. So, um, I made you this.” She held up a knotted string.

“. . . A friendship bracelet?”

Ladybug’s blush deepened and she nodded, then placed it in his hand. It was striped red, black, and green. Adrien smiled.

“Thanks, my lady.” He tucked it into his pocket. “Ready for patrol?”

“Let’s go,” she said, clearly happy he liked the gift. And if the look on her face was any indication, despite the friendship bracelet, he was willing to bet he wasn’t quite  _ just a friend  _ anymore.

* * *

BONUS:

Adrien frowned, trying to figure out where to put the bracelet from Ladybug. It couldn’t be somewhere in sight, but he wanted to keep it with him.

“What about inside your bag?” Plagg suggested, watching him from atop the piano.

“With Marinette’s lucky charm?” Adrien had safety-pinned it to the inside of his book bag several months ago after he’d almost lost it.

“Even better,” said Plagg with a chuckle.

Adrien searched his desk drawer for a safety pin, then added the bracelet next to the charm. He had to admit they looked good, almost like they belonged together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Marinette's personality seeping into Ladybug's... it's like she has a crush on him or something.


	9. make a move

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chat Noir reflects on his relationship with Ladybug, and she makes it even more clear that she likes him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a lot of fun writing this one, I hope you enjoy!

Adrien thought he’d been in love with Ladybug. He thought he saw her, thought he caught glimpses of the girl behind the mask. Maybe he had. But that didn’t matter anymore. Adrien thought he’d been in love with her. He’d been wrong. He’d loved her, maybe. But they hadn’t been in love.

Quite unexpectedly, Ladybug had made it her mission to strengthen their friendship. And because she was Ladybug, she was succeeding. And now he got to spend even more time with her. She brought him pastries and told him what she could about herself. He did the same, and she listened.

If Adrien had thought he’d been in love with Ladybug, he had no idea what was coming to him.

She was beautiful. She always had a plan, she was the smartest person he knew. She wasn’t perfect, but she was a perfect Ladybug. He didn’t see the mask anymore, just the girl he loved. He wanted to know who she was, but not for the sake of knowing. He wanted to ask her out, on a real date, as civilians.

Something had changed for her, too. She kept up their banter in battle, but on patrols, she’d long given up hiding her laughter at his puns. She stopped rejecting his flirting, aside from teasing. When they were out late at night, she’d blush at his attempts, thinking he couldn’t see it in the dark. He had night vision.

They were friends, they were a superhero team, they were _not_ a couple. But they had the potential to be, and they both knew it. And it felt amazing.

Ladybug rolled onto the Montparnasse Tower rooftop, the finish line to the city-wide race that patrol was often replaced with. (“We’re still traveling the city, and keeping a lookout for danger,” Ladybug said to justify it.)

“I won,” she declared, watching him land next to her.

“ _Bien joué_ , my lady,” he said, clipping his baton to his back.

“You better not be letting me win, _minou_. That’s the fourth time this week.”

“As if.” Adrien leaned against the railing. He hadn’t been letting her win, exactly. It wasn’t his fault she looked so stunning, flying across the city. And it certainly wasn’t his fault he kept slamming into chimneys because he’d been paying more attention to her than what was ahead of him.

Beside him, Ladybug looked over Paris, then turned her head to him. “Cat got your tongue?”

“What?”

“You’re being quieter than normal.”

“And you just made a pun,” he pointed out.

Ladybug shrugged. “You’ve wooed me.”

“Have I?”

“No! That’s not-- I meant, your puns, I-- nevermind.” Ladybug wrinkled her nose, a blush creeping down from under her mask.

“I’m just teasing, Bugaboo. Though I do like the puns.”

“Pun. Singular. I only made one.”

“Can you warn me next time? So I can record it?”

“I’m never making a pun around you again,” she muttered.

“You’re a tease! You can’t make _just one_ pun. That’s not how it works.”

“It is now.”

They fell into silence, both turning their gaze to the city. Adrien watched Ladybug out of the corner of his eye, wondering what she was thinking. She was lost in whatever it was, standing so still Adrien would’ve thought she was frozen if not for the blinking. She was so close to him, their hands resting on the railing nearly meeting.

He felt warmth on his hand, and looked down to see a spotted hand resting on his. He looked back up, and their eyes met. He recognized her expression immediately: she had a plan. Not wanting to interrupt whatever she was about to do, Adrien stayed silent.

Without taking her eyes from his, she slid her hand under his, their palms touching. She lifted it, and Adrien wondered if she could hear his heart pounding. He could feel the softness of her lips through his suit as she brushed them against his hand. Even then, she did not move her gaze, wide and determined.

She let the touch linger for a moment, lowering his hand with hers.

“I’ll see you around, _mon minou_.” She let go of his hand and readied her yoyo.

“Yeah,” he said, as she swung away from him. “I’ll see you around.”

* * *

BONUS:

Marinette’s toes landed on her bed as she dropped her transformation. She buried herself in her blankets, ignoring Tikki’s questioning look. She could still feel Chat Noir’s glove on her lips, could still see those green, green eyes staring at her in amazement. She put her face into her pillow to stifle a squeal. All those months not being able to talk to Adrien, and she’d just kissed Chat. On the hand, but still. If he hadn’t known she liked him before, he certainly knew now. She fell asleep, drifting into dreams of Chat Noir and Paris.


	10. tell me a secret

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the chapter that gave this story its name. Ladybug and Chat cuddle and talk... not about the hand kiss, though.

“Tell me a secret.” Chat Noir had pulled Marinette close to him, and she leaned into his chest. His bell rested on her head. He ran his fingers through her hair-- as much as he could, Ladybug’s ribbons are just as firmly attached as her mask. The Seine glowed below them, reflecting the light from the Eiffel Tower.

“I am terrified of telling you my identity,” she whispered. It was the first time they’d  _ really _ talked since last week. She liked him. He knew. He was waiting for her to say something. But she hadn’t, because however much she wanted to be with him, she didn’t want to do that without knowing each other’s identities. And she wasn’t sure she wanted him to know.

His hand stilled. “You are?”

“Ladybug is amazing. She’s confident. I’m… not.”

“But you  _ are _ Ladybug. Mask or not.”

“That’s what Tikki says, too.” She pressed her cheek against him, blinking away a tear. She shouldn’t be crying now. This wasn’t new. Ladybug was perfect. Marinette wasn’t. “Without my powers, I’m clumsy. I can’t stand up for myself, and when I do, nobody believes me.”

“That can’t be true.”

“It is.”

“Really? Because being Ladybug, that’s brave. Every single time you transform to fight, it’s not Ladybug finding somewhere to hide, it’s not Ladybug making the choice to use her power. You were chosen to be Ladybug because you already had all the qualities. Master Fu didn’t choose some random girl and hope she’d learn. He chose someone he knew could do it.” Chat twirled the piece of hair left out of her pigtails.

Marinette smiled. Hearing him say that… it doesn’t get rid of the fear, but it eased it. She might not be ready to tell him yet, but she would be someday.

He traced the edge of her mask with his thumb. “I don’t just like you for the mask, Bug.”

She laughed a bit, his hand resting on her cheek. “You’ve never called me  _ bug _ before.”

“I haven’t, have I?”

“Most of your nicknames are a little overdone. I like  _ Bug _ .”

Chat put his arms around her. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Wanna hear another secret?”

“Okay.”

Marinette wiggled, freeing herself from his hug just enough to look up and make eye contact. “I like  _ my lady _ even more.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have just started writing the chapters/drabbles that put things more in motion. Enjoy the fluff while it lasts.


	11. le chat et la seine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chat Noir falls into the Seine. Ladybugs realizes something about their height difference. An undeniable multi-chapter storyline is set up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, buckle up, because we're starting an actual arc for these next few chapters. Let's hope you don't hate me after this.

Chat Noir had fallen into the Seine. That was the thought running through Marinette’s head as she fought. She was standing on an apartment building, and Chat Noir had fallen into the Seine. She wasn’t sure what had happened, but she was guessing the akuma had pushed him off somehow. She’d been busy summoning her Lucky Charm.

She clutched at the tape dispenser, hoping she’d soon get the break she needed to set it up. She kept glancing down to where Chat had fallen. She hadn’t seen him yet. His baton would help him breathe, and there was the possibility that he’d detransformed, but she could still worry.

It almost would’ve been better for him to get hit by the akuma’s blaster. In the streets, people with paper bags stuck over their heads wandered around. Some had sat down to avoid bumping into things, becoming bumping hazards themselves. The Cure would be fixing more than a few broken bones today.

At last, Ladybug found enough time to rig her yoyo. The akuma was in the villain's lunch bag, so all she needed was to rip it. She pried the blade off the tape dispenser, then taped it to her yoyo.

As she shot it towards the bag, she saw Chat emerging from the Seine at last. He was heading back to the fight, and by the time she’d deevilized the butterfly, he had joined her on the roof.

“Chaton!” She threw her arms around him the second he was within reach.

“You knew I’d be fine,” he said, returning her hug all the same.

Marinette just held on tighter, glad he was safe.

“Uh… could you?” He gestured to the tape dispenser pieces left in her hand.

“Oh, of course.” Ladybug stepped back from him, ready to throw the Lucky Charm. She paused long enough to notice that his hair was flattened against his head, dripping water. It was cute.

“Miraculous Ladybug!”

As the ladybugs swept through Paris, Marinette stepped closer to Chat. His hair was dry again, and she put her arm up to ruffle it before thinking better of it. There were still cameras around, and he might think it was weird. She stood with her arm halfway between them, then awkwardly lowered it. She stared at him, not sure of what to do. He looked confused by her arm raising and lowering, but he was smiling. She would have to stand on her toes to kiss him. The moment she thought it, she felt heat in her cheeks.

No doubt blushing like an idiot, she took several steps back. “Would you mind?” She flailed her arm in the direction of the small boy who was realizing he’d been akumatized. “My earring…”

“Right, right,” he said, already walking to the boy.

Marinette lingered on the edge of the roof, then dropped down to detransform and head home.

She’d have to stand on her toes to kiss him. She  _ knew _ that. Obviously, she’d have to. The top of her head barely reached his nose. But for her growing fondness for Chat, she’d never stopped and actually considered that fact.  _ She’d have to stand on her toes to kiss him. _


	12. why

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> marinette's actions leave both ladybug and chat noir wondering the same thing: why?

“That is so not fair!” Ladybug said, leaning over the edge of a roof.

“It is too,” Chat said, grinning at her from the alley below.

“I thought you fell!”

Adrien collapsed his baton, stowing it on his back. “But I didn’t.”

“Exactly!” Ladybug hooked her yoyo on a gutter and lowered herself down to meet him. “I was scared.”

“Aw, were you scared for me, my lady?”

“Yes,” she said, advancing on him. “You can’t just disappear like that, you mangy cat, I--”

Adrien, who had been backing up with her advances, now found himself stopped by the wall. Ladybug hadn’t noticed yet and only stopped walking when she bumped into him. Seemingly unfazed, she put a hand on her shoulder, continuing her jesting rant.

“--don’t do that, okay?” she finished. She finally realized how close they were, and went still. Her face reddened, her lips still parted from her speech. She made up her mind in one motion: moving her hand from his shoulder to his hair, pulling his head down and tipping hers up, pressing her lips to his.

Adrien put his hand on her waist. He returned the kiss, vanilla and cinnamon warm on his lips. The concept of time was lost on him. He was in awe. In awe of Ladybug and the feel of her lips, her hand in his hair, her warmth as she pushed him against the wall. The air that fluttered on his cheek when she stopped just long enough to breathe, her cheeks flushed red as her mask, her lips back on his with earth-shattering force.

He never thought she’d do this. There was something stopping her, even though she liked him. The other guy, he’d thought at first. But then she’d kissed his hand, and that thought had vanished. Their identities, then. Was she planning a reveal tonight? He hoped not; as much as he wanted it, he also wanted warning. Time to prepare.

She broke the kiss first, a dazed look on her face. She pulled her hand out of his hair, her fingers snagging on a tangled strand. Slowly, she brought her fingers to her face and brushed them across her lips.

“Why did I do that?” she whispered, not even looking at him. 

And then she left, springing into the air on her yoyo. Chat stared after her, trying not to cry because _she didn’t know why she’d kissed him._

* * *

Chat Noir’s hair was soft. Even with her suit, Marinette could feel the fine strands looping around her fingers. She’d been thinking of little but kissing him since yesterday. She’d been right; she had to stand on her toes.

He had a hand on her waist, hugging her closer, and she responded. She had him practically pinned to the wall in an alley. She’d put them in that position on accident, and looking up at him -- at his eyes, his lips--she’d lost the self-control that had gotten her through the first part of patrol.

And now she was kissing him. She kissed him like it was their first kiss, because it was, because those other times didn’t count. She was so wrapped up in him, consumed by nothing but this moment, this feeling. It was wonderful. It was wonderful and spectacular and so, so awful.

She pulled away, like she was just now realizing what she was doing. Her lips were still tingling, she put a finger to them as if to stop it. 

“Why did I do that?”

She left, not wanting to talk to him. She liked him. He liked her. They knew this. But only couples kissed. They weren’t a couple. She wasn’t sure she wanted to be. Their identities would make it messy. She still didn’t want to tell him who she was.

Surely, he had taken this as a sign she wanted to be with him. That she thought it was possible, reasonable. She wanted to kiss him. She wanted to be with him. That didn’t make it reasonable.

She entered her room through her balcony, falling into her bed to wait for the morning. Between the kiss, and all the worries running through her head, knew she wouldn’t be sleeping tonight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What? I warned you


	13. the aftermath, part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> adrien pines; plagg is actually helpful for once.

Adrien held up the Ladybug doll, staring at it as if it would come to life and tell him what the real Ladybug was thinking. It didn’t. He threw it onto his desk, watching it bounce over his keyboard.

Plagg looked up. He’d given up trying to get Adrien to talk about it sometime the day before. Adrien knew he had figured out what had happened-- or close enough, anyway. Maybe Ladybug’s kwami had shown up and told him. She probably told her kwami everything.

Every few hours, Adrien transformed and checked the messages on his baton, just in case. Still nothing. It’d been two days, and still nothing. He had no idea what was going to happen at the next akuma attack. They’d have to work together. But he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t mad.

She hadn’t been subtle about her crush on him (or wasn’t good at being subtle, at least). She’d kissed his hand. They’d been toeing the line between friends and more, and he’d been okay with that. They cuddled, he flirted, but called each other best friends. And that was with the understanding that once they could, once the pressure of saving Paris had been relieved, they would move past that line.

And then she’d kissed him. He’d enjoyed it; he’d kissed her back. But now it was  _ her _ turn. He’d confessed to her months ago. All this time, he’d been following her lead. She’d kissed him, but it was still her turn. Her turn to call him, to say something, to--

“Are you okay, kid? You look like you’re trying to set that doll on fire with her eyes.”

“She can’t just do this,” Adrien said, turning to look at Plagg. “She kissed me, you know.”

Plagg nodded; Adrien wondered how obvious it had been. Or if he’d been aware enough while Adrien was transformed.

“You know what she said?”

Plagg stayed silent, not even eating his cheese.

“‘Why did I do that?’ And then she left.” Adrien had already cried about this, he didn’t need to start again now. “She left. And she hasn’t called me, I haven’t seen her, or-- or  _ anything, _ Plagg. Why?”

“She probably freaked,” Plagg said. “She didn’t wake up that morning thinking,  _ I’m going to kiss Chat Noir today, _ and it scared her.”

“So what, I’m some scary monster?”

“You’re not. The future is.”

“What?”

“Humans. Look at yourself. You’re so caught up in this one predicament, this one  _ week _ of your life. You may be mortal, but a week is hardly anything to you. What happens happens. You get over it. You move on. And maybe you use that call button on your baton every now and then.”

Adrien blinked. “That’s… actually good advice, Plagg.”

Plagg took a bite of cheese. “Yeah, well, I’ve seen a lot.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *checks notes on how to write angst*  
> This is enough lack of communication, right?


	14. the aftermath, part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette gets an insight into Chat Noir's feelings, we get insight into hers.

The moment she heard the akuma alert, Marinette was filled with dread. She hadn’t seen Chat Noir since the kiss. Since she’d left him. She didn’t want to talk about it. She wanted to erase it, to pretend it had never happened.

He’d left her a voicemail. She’d left him on  _ listened. _

Chat was already fighting when she showed up. She joined, used to fighting alongside him. They were good at communicating with signals from across a fight and barely spoke the entire battle. She explained her Lucky Charm, he nodded, and set out to complete his half of the plan. When he finally cataclysmed the akumatized object, she wasted no time in deevilizing the butterfly.

As the woman who’d been akumatized came out of her daze, Marinette turned to Chat Noir.

“ _ Bien joué! _ ” She held out her fist.

Chat Noir blinked at her. He shook his head, then turned to leave.

Marinette watched him, her fist still extended. She brought her arm down, unclenching her hand. She could follow him, but he probably didn’t want her to. He hadn’t talked to her the entire battle. Instead, she helped the woman up, making sure she was okay. 

She had enough time left on her transformation to make it home by yoyo, but she called it off early. Marinette walked home slowly, passing the bakery as she walked along the Seine, then turning back.

She felt awful.  _ Bien joué _ was their thing. He didn’t get to just skip it. He’d walked away without a word. They were Ladybug and Chat Noir. They might not know what their relationship was at the moment, but they didn’t stop being Ladybug and Chat Noir. They were a superhero team before anything else. Whether they were friends or a couple, that would come after being a team. They would always be a team

_ Oh.  _

This must be how Chat Noir felt. She’d kissed him. She’d left. She hadn’t talked to him since.

She turned into the alley behind the bakery, hidden from view.

“Tikki, spots on.”

She was holding her yoyo before the pink light had even faded, open in her hand. Her finger hovered over the call button, Chat Noir’s profile smiling at her. He wouldn’t be transformed anymore, but he would listen to a voicemail if she left one.

She couldn’t do it. She couldn’t call him. He was mad at her, and rightly so. She should wait, give him time to breathe. She hadn’t even made up her mind about what she wanted to have happen. Should they get together? She’d like that, but it would be strange. How would they go back to being friends?  _ Could _ they?

“Spots off.”

“You didn’t call him,” Tikki said. Marinette walked towards the bakery.

“No.” She pulled the door open, giving her mom a wave.

“Why not?”

Marinette ignored Tikki, climbing up to the apartment, then up to her room.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” she said, pulling out her literature homework.

“So you’re going to angrily annotate poetry?”

“I’m not angry.”

“Yes, you are.”

“Chat did nothing wrong! I’m not angry at him!”

“I never said you were.” Tikki sat on the edge of her paper. “You’re angry with yourself.”

Marinette circled a metaphor. “I said I don’t want to talk about it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...that moment when 'connected drabbles' becomes an actual story...


	15. missing you, part 1

_Chat Noir was standing at the edge of the Seine. The water was still, the last of the late-night tour boats just being docked. He smiled when he saw her, his ears rising by a fraction._

_“Hi,” she said, joining him at the water._

_He put an arm around her shoulders, warm and comforting._

_“I’m glad you’re here,” he said, leaving a kiss on her temple._

_“Me too.”_

_“Let’s sit.” He grabbed her spotted hand, pulling her up the bank. They sat on a bench. Ladybug paused. She didn’t remember this stretch of the river having benches._

_Chat had brought her closer to him; she was nearly sitting in his lap, their legs tangled together. She wasn’t sure how long they sat like that. It could’ve been seconds, it could’ve been years. She didn’t know if they were talking or silent, content with each other’s company._

_Chat lifted her up, helping them both stand. Somehow, she knew it was time to leave._

_He was still holding her hand, and he pressed a light kiss to it before speaking. “I’ll see you soon, Marinette.”_

She woke up with tears on her cheeks. The sun was rising, painting her room gold and orange. She didn’t have to be awake for another hour, but she doubted she could fall back asleep.

Today marked a week since the kiss. A week since she’d last talked to Chat. And despite all the emotions circling through her, she just really missed him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> turns out connected drabbles just means I don't feel bad about posting really short chapters.


	16. missing you, part 2

He debated going. After a week, Ladybug had finally called him. She wanted to meet, to talk, she said. After a week. And four akuma attacks. She’d stopped trying to fist bump him after the second.

“Isn’t this what you wanted?” Plagg asked, following Adrien to the piano.

“Five days ago, yes.”

“And now, what? It’s too late?”

“Yes,” Adrien said, creasing his music book so it would stay open.

“You haven’t been exactly talkative yourself, you know,” Plagg pointed out.

Adrien played a chord. “Whatever.”

“You’re being stubborn.”

Adrien started the melody, up and down a g major scale. Sonatinas were boring. He had a whole book to get through.

“You’re going,” Plagg yelled over the music. “Whether you like it or not, you’re going! You don't hate her, and you're going!”

Plagg was right. He was going. Because they needed to solve this. Because they needed to be good heroes, for Paris. Because he needed to know why she’d done it. Because he missed her.

“Plagg, claws out!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank goodness for plagg


	17. still your lady

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ladybug and Chat Noir are finally talking again... about their feelings, for once.

Marinette knew Chat Noir would be there five minutes early, so she was ten minutes early. She was anxious, pacing the nondescript building she’d chosen as their meeting place. She’d been skipping patrols all week and hadn’t seen Chat out either. If anything, they needed to settle back into their schedule for Paris’ safety.

“Hi.” Chat Noir stopped a few meters from her, as if he was scared.

“Hi.” She didn’t try to approach him, all her energy focused on  _ not crying _ . He might be scared of her, but it was so good to see him again, to have him talking to her again.

He leaned his baton against the roof access door, waiting for her to speak.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I shouldn’t have--”

“Shouldn’t have  _ what? _ Shouldn’t have kissed me?”

“Shouldn’t have left.  _ Should’ve _ talked to you. I don’t know. Shouldn’t have done… what I did.” She stared solidly at her toes, not wanting to see the hurt in his eyes.

“Yeah,” he said, quieter than she expected.

“We need to be superheroes. You don’t have to like me, you must hate me after this, but we need to be superheroes.”

“I don’t hate you.”

“Really?” She knew she’d been awful to him. She wouldn’t blame him if he never wanted to talk outside of duty ever again. She’d help him burn that stupid friendship bracelet she’d made.

“I could never hate you, my lady.”

He called her  _ his lady.  _ Marinette couldn’t stop the tears. She thought she’d never hear those words again. She was still his lady.

He saw her crying and stepped forward, closing the distance between them. He stopped short of taking her hand, mumbling words of comfort she couldn’t hear over her own relief.  _ She was still his lady. _

“I really want to kiss you again,” she admitted, not sure what part of her decided to say it.

“I really want you to kiss me again, too,” he said.

And so she did. It’d been a week. A week of knowing--remembering--exactly what this felt like. A week of thinking it would never happen again. She was deliberate, committing every detail to memory. His hands hugging her waist, hers on his neck.

She pulled away first, leaving her arms around his neck.

“What now?” she asked.

Chat shrugged. “We wait. See what happens.”

“I like having a plan.”

“I’ve noticed.”

She thought about it for a moment. She wanted a relationship with him, more than anything. And it was a possibility, one she couldn’t deny the presence of any longer.

“We can’t let anyone know,” she started, “our relationship has to stay secret. But other than that… if you’re okay with waiting to reveal our identities…”

“I can wait,” Chat Noir assured her.

“Oh, and, I should’ve asked this ages ago, but how old are you?”

“Fifteen.”

“Me too.”

“Hey.” Chat adjusted his grip on her waist. “I have a plan, too.”

“Do you?” He’d lowered his head to hers, their foreheads almost touching.

“Kiss me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now, back to our regularly scheduled fluff. (for a while anyway) (I've written this story so far ahead it's not even funny) Also, thank you to everyone leaving comments and kudos! You and the Beetlejuice soundtrack are giving me the energy to keep writing this.


	18. the first dance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We may now officially (re)commence the fluff, with a side of secret dating. Enjoy!

They didn’t normally patrol this far from the center of the city. They didn’t normally patrol this late. They didn’t normally patrol walking the streets.

Yet Ladybug and Chat Noir were walking side by side into the eighteenth androssiment, well past midnight. The full moon shone yellow over them, casting faint shadows along the street. The trees above them shook with the breeze, the last of summer fading their leaves orange. Music fell through the doors of cabarets, people milling about their entrances. None of them noticed the superheroes, who were glad to slip by unnoticed.

Marinette turned onto Boulevard de Rochechouart, Chat following her in silent agreement, Neither of them had spoken for some time, content to walk together after the tumultuous past week. Their relationship was stronger than it looked, not glass, but a spider’s web, beautiful and intricate and able to withstand rain.

They passed a smaller cabaret, a crowd gathering outside its doors. _Le Chat Noir._ Marinette remembered seeing it on the news sometime last year, reopened for the first time in nearly a century. She nudged Chat with her shoulder, tilting her head to the lit windows.

“I think you get credit for that,” she said.

Chat Noir blinked, pulled out of his own reverie by her comment. “I do, don’t I?”

Marinette smiled at the amazement in his voice. Her partner needed more reminders that he was important, she thought. Ladybug often overshadowed him, all for her ability to deevilize akumas.

Their hands brushed together, a small touch compared to the kisses they’d shared. Marinette fought the reflex to pull away, instead closing her hand around his. _They did this now._ Chat didn’t say anything, but turned his head and smiled at her. He was her kitty, through and through.

Hand in hand, they left the Boulevard in favor of a quieter street. A string quartet lifted their bows on the corner, prompting scattered applause from those who’d stopped to listen and the shuffling of sheet music on the musicians’ stands.

The music started back up, a violin’s lonely melody slowly joined by the harmonies.

Ladybug stopped walking, her eyes drawn to the performers. Chat Noir stepped in front of her, offering his other hand. She took it, mirroring his movements as best she could.

They settled into the rhythm of the music, one- _two_ -three- _four_ in time with their heartbeats. Chat lifted his arm to twirl her, using the chance to pull her closer than before, one hand on her waist and the other on her shoulder. It was easier to keep in sync standing closer, Ladybug’s feet finding the steps better than Marinette’s could have.

The song had to come to an end, the last note wavering over them before fading into silence. Chat bowed as he ended the dance, lifting her hand to his lips. Marinette responded with a curtsy, holding the air like a skirt. The musicians were putting their instruments away, cases snapping shut and music stands folding.

“It’s late,” Ladybug said.

“It is.”

“I’m going to fall asleep in class tomorrow.” She tangled their fingers together. “It’ll be worth it, though.”

Chat squeezed her hand. “I’d lose countless hours of sleep for you, my lady.”

“And I for you.” She yawned, finally admitting to the tiredness that’d been threatening her all night.

“Want me to carry you back to the Eiffel?”

“Would you?” Marinette hugged her arms around his neck.

Chat lifted her up. Marinette pressed her lips to his before burying her face in his shoulder, her peaceful sigh muffled by his neck. He held on tight, vaulting them into the air and over Paris. She was half-awake, snuggled into his warmth.

They landed at the bottom of the tower, Chat gently releasing his grip on her.

“No…” She held on, refusing to move. “You’re warm.”

Chat laughed, taking one of her arms off his shoulder. “You’ve got to go home, Bug. I’ll see you on Wednesday.”

Marinette removed her other arm, already missing his hug. “Fine.”

He leaned down to give her a goodbye kiss.

“Wednesday,” she said.

“Wednesday,” he agreed, his hand on his baton, ready to be carried home. “And try to get some sleep tonight.”

“I will.”

She watched him leave, hoping the night hadn’t been a dream. Their week of separation had been worth it, she decided, if it had led them to this.


	19. cat boy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ladybug has a new nickname for chat

“Betrayal,” Chat Noir gasped, putting his hand to his chest. Ladybug giggled, her hand over her mouth. “Bug, Bugaboo,  _ my lady. _ And what am I repaid with? Cat Boy.”

Ladybug was doing her best to stop giggling, but it wasn’t working very well. “I’m sorry,” she managed to say, “I don’t know why I--”

“Cat Boy,” he repeated, not able to keep his own laughter hidden any longer. “I can’t believe you called me Cat Boy.”

“I mean, you kind of are…”

Adrien laughed, then remembered his act and took a deep breath. He sat down, trying to look dejected, though he had a strong suspicion he was failing.

“Aww,” Ladybug cooed, sitting down next to him. She wrapped him in her arms, her hands in his hair, petting him. “Silly kitty.  _ Chaton _ .  _ Mon minou. _ Does that make up for it?”

He snuggled closer to her, unable to deny that she’d more than made up for it, courtesy of the purr rumbling from his chest. She wound her fingers through his hair, humming softly as if in imitation of his purr. He still had trouble believing it sometimes; Ladybug was his girlfriend. She pressed a kiss to his cat ear, then rested her head on his shoulder.

She hadn’t meant to hurt him. Plagg had been right. She’d been scared. He was a little, too. Making a relationship work like this? It was going to be hard. But so,  _ so _ worth it. Because that girl with her arms around him, dangling her legs off the edge of the roof with him? That was his lady, all right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was fun to write


	20. truth or dare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chat should know that Ladybug, of all people, will not back down from a dare.

“Truth or dare?”

“Truth,” Chat said, stretched out on the slant of a roof.

Ladybug groaned. “Are you always this boring?”

“I’m being boring?”

“You’ve picked truth four times in a row. And identities make coming up with questions hard.”

“I’m not stopping  _ you _ from picking dare.”

She crossed her legs, thinking. “Okay, um, was I your first kiss?”

“Yeah.”

Marinette leaned over him--sitting above him on the roof, she had a height advantage--and kissed him.

“Truth or dare?” he asked, his lips still on hers.

She sat back up. “Dare.”

“Go into that store”--he pointed at a brightly light door on the street below--“and buy a yoyo.”

“What?” Marinette sputtered. “No! I-- I can’t do that!”

“Do you not have cash with you? I think I had some…” he reached for his baton.

“No! I mean, that’s going to terrify any civilian who sees me! And it’ll be all over the news, all over the  _ Ladyblog _ in less than an hour!”

“Who’s the boring one now?” Chat knew he had her cornered; she was Ladybug, not one to back out of a challenge.

“Fine,” she said, reaching for her yoyo.

“Nuh-uh,” Chat said, taking the yoyo from her. He extended his baton down to the ground. Begrudgingly, Marinette grabbed hold of it.

“Bonus points if it’s a fake of yours,” he called as she descended.

Marinette wanted to make this quick. She’d never actually gone into a store to buy something as Ladybug, and she wasn’t used to the stares. The worst part wasn’t entering the store, or wandering around to find a yoyo--which did end up being a fake Ladybug yoyo, sure to make Chat laugh. The worst part was standing at the cash register, waiting for the shocked girl to ring it up.

“Just so you know, I’m not actually going to try to use this in battle,” Ladybug said, realizing she needed to say  _ something. _

The girl nodded, scanning the yoyo.

“Anyway, uh, thanks.” Ladybug dropped a crumpled bill on the counter. Glad  _ that _ experience was finally over, she hurried out of the store. Curse Chat and his enthusiasm for exploiting her competitiveness. Honestly, that was probably one of the qualities that made her a good Ladybug in the first place.

Chat was leaning over the roof, grinning at her as she approached. She held up the plastic yoyo, rolling her eyes. Chat dropped her yoyo and she caught it, the weight familiar. The fake was much lighter than her real yoyo; it wasn’t something she’d considered before, but she didn’t know what material her weapon was made out of.

She threw it onto the roof, lifting herself up next to Chat.

“I can’t believe you actually did that,” he said, laughing.

She hit him on the arm with her yoyo. “Don’t act surprised. You knew I’d do it.”

“So what happened? Did you get mobbed? Was Alya in there? Were you accused of being a fake Ladybug?”

“I had a very awkward conversation with the cashier,” Marinette said. “Though it wasn’t much of a conversation, she didn’t say anything.”

“Fascinating,” he mused.

Ladybug held out the fake yoyo. “What am I going to do with this?”

Useless as it was, she knew she’d be keeping it. After all, something had to start replacing the Adrien collection that had faded from her room sometime earlier that year.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> at this point, i should just set my laptop to autocorrect marineete


	21. umbrella

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ladynoir in the rain

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You may notice there is now a chapter count, and this chapter is the half-way point. Yay!

Chat Noir huddled into Ladybug, his legs curled to keep out of the rain. His head was in her lap, her fingers in his hair. The moment the rain had started, light drops dusting their hair, they’d retreated to an alcove Ladybug seemed to know well. It’d only gotten worse since, heavy rain pouring down around them.

A flash lit the sky, followed by the crack of thunder. Adrien instinctively nudged Ladybug’s hand, pushing her fingers further into his hair.

“Aw, is my kitty scared of the thunder?”

“I am not,” he mumbled over his own purring.

“Sure you aren’t.” Ladybug brushed a kiss to his ear. He wondered if she knew he could feel it.

“Thanks for coming up here with me. You really didn’t have to,” he said for what felt like the millionth time that night. Needing to escape from his house was expected. Ladybug joining him out in the cold… should also be expected at this point, if he was being honest. 

“Like I’m leaving my kitty all alone,” she said. “I’m not your lady for nothing, am I?”

Adrien tried to reply, but it was hardly more than a murmur. Ladybug shifted, finding a more comfortable position for them both. When he was little, his mom would always find him during a thunderstorm, and they’d sit on the couch together, lulled to sleep by the sound of rain. So it wasn’t a surprise that now, with rain falling in sheets around him, sharing warmth with his lady, he fell asleep.

“ _ Chaton… _ ”

Adrien’s back was cold, despite his suit’s protection. There was something warm in front of him, though. He hugged it closer.

“ _ Chaton… _ ”

The warm thing moved, wiggling out of his grip.

“It’s getting late,  _ minou _ .”

The warm thing was red with black spots, and--

Oh.

“Bugaboo…”

“Hey,” she said, as he finally opened his eyes to meet the blue ones staring back at him.

“Hey.” He looked out over the roofs. The moon was a whisper in the clouds, rain still falling from the sky. “It’s still raining.”

“I don’t think it’ll let up soon,” Ladybug said, “sorry.”

“I’ll be fine,” Adrien said. “I’ve fallen in the Seine before, I can deal with a little rain.”

“Yes, but…” Before he could stop her, Ladybug threw her yoyo, calling a Lucky Charm. She handed him the umbrella, her cheeks pink.

He took it, sure he had a blush to match hers. “Thanks.” He opened it, holding it away from their alcove, then stepped under it.

Ladybug gave him a smile and a wave, then jumped, her yoyo pulling her across Paris. Water dripped from the edges of the umbrella.  _ Ladybug called a Lucky Charm for him. _ He didn’t know why, but that simple fact took his breath away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> nothing like a bit of love square irony. 
> 
> also, for anyone else wondering about the timeframe, ch. 18 is set in late summer, ch. 26 is set in early winter, and the chapters in between are floating in there somewhere.


	22. flirt a little

“Are you ever going to stop watching that?” Plagg asked, a look of disgust on his face.

Adrien, laying on his bed with his phone in one hand, rolled over. The video cut to Alya, and he paused it.

“She flirted with me, Plagg!”

“She’s your girlfriend. What’s the big deal?”

“She doesn’t flirt with me during battle,” Adrien explained, rewinding the video. “Until today.”

“So? She was probably just hor-”

“PLAGG!” Adrien’s phone tumbled onto his bed.

“What? I’m just saying!”

“Well, I’d rather you NOT!”

Plagg dodged the pillow that was thrown at him.

Grumbling, Adrien picked his phone back up.

_ “Trust me, kitty, you’re plenty distracting.” _

Plagg sighed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is 111 words long.


	23. to-do list

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chat Noir and Ladybug are making a list of all the things they want to do when they finally defeat Hawkmoth.

Chat Noir shook the piece of paper, holding it just out of Ladybug’s reach. If she really wanted it, she could stand up and grab it, but she stayed sitting, facing him.

“Okay, what’s next?” He clicked the pen impatiently.

“Hmm, how about travel?” One of the biggest downsides to being superheroes was the inability to leave the city.

“Oh, yeah!” Chat laid the paper on the roof and started adding to the list of all the things they were going to do once they defeated Hawkmoth. “I want to go to Nice, what about you?”

Marinette thought for a moment. “London.”

“London?” Chat asked, surprised. “That’s not very far.”

“Neither is Nice.”

“Yeah, but you seem like the type to want to visit every place on Earth.”

“London’s a place on Earth.” Marinette turned her yoyo over, fidgeting with it. “Why Nice?”

“I went there once when I was little. My mom always said she’d take me back.”

Marinette put her yoyo back on her waist, giving Chat her full attention. He couldn’t say much, but she knew his mom was gone. Dead or left, he wouldn’t say. And as much as she hated to admit it, he probably shouldn’t. This whole secret identity thing was going to kill her, sooner or later.

“It’s sunny,” he continued. “We got ice cream.”

“Sounds nice.”

Chat’s smile grew. Marinette had secretly made it her goal to make him roll his eyes. She hadn’t yet succeeded.

“Hey, what about those cupcakes?” he asked.

“What cupcakes?”

“You said you’d teach me how to make cupcakes.”

“Follow a recipe.”

“Yes, but I want to follow  _ your _ recipe.”

_ A recipe hundreds in Paris were dying for.  _ “What if it’s a secret?”

“I can keep a secret.” He tapped his ring to prove the point.

“I know.” Ladybug shuffled over to sit closer to him. 

He put an arm around her, her head resting on his shoulder.

“I wish I didn’t have to keep so many secrets,” she mumbled. “I think that someday, I might just break and spill them all.”

“I know the feeling.” Chat bent his neck to kiss her cheek. “I wish neither of us did.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> keeping secrets is hard


	24. clawless

Chat Noir was just around the corner from her, not Chat Noir anymore. He was arguing with his kwami (“It’s not my fault you eat so much!”), and Marinette was trying to come up with a plan while Tikki ate. She’d had to use her Lucky Charm to get them out of the akuma’s trap, and now they both needed to recharge before heading back into battle.

She curled her fingers around the edge of the wall. It was almost impossible to make a plan before she had the charm, but if she could at least get them close before calling it, that would give her more time…

Something brushed her fingers.

“Chat?”

“Sorry,” he said, pulling away.

“No, it’s fine.” She reached further around the corner, her palm flat on the bricks.

He put his hand on hers, then lifted it from the wall and pressed their palms together. It was weird to feel his skin instead of the suit, his hand so much more human without the claws. There was a real person there, someone she knew she loved, because masks didn’t make that much of a difference, really.

Tikki had finished eating and was nudging Marinette, whispering that she had to transform. 

Plagg must have been doing the same thing, because Chat moved his hand away. “Back to the battle?”

“Yeah.” Marinette pulled her hand to her side of the wall. “Back to the battle.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For all my crazy writing ahead, there's a handful of chapters in a row that got... neglected. So updates are probably going to slow down for a little soon, and then pick back up to daily.


	25. what's the chance

Chat Noir would like to think he’d recognize his lady if he saw her. He knows that won’t happen, there’s some sort of magic preventing it. But he hopes.

And if not that he’ll recognize her as Ladybug, then that her face will be familiar, and he’ll have to ask if they’ve met before, which of course they haven’t-- there’s only a 0.00000784% chance of them knowing each other. That number was posted on the Ladyblog last month. He’d thought about it a lot.

A 0.00000784% chance he knew his lady. That they’d met, talked, knew each other's names. He wished it was greater than that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh dear that was barely over 100 words. This chapter does exist for a reason, I promise. I've mostly healed the hole in my writing ahead, though I've been having a hard time with Adrien's pov and will probably end up deleting and rewriting at least one chapter. (prepare for some drama)


	26. silly kitty

Gabriel Agreste was a jerk. This was not new information. But it still shocked him sometimes, still made his hands shake and tears prick his eyes. He couldn’t take it, pacing his room, ignoring Plagg’s look of pity.

So now he was Chat Noir, sitting in a tree. The sun shone silver around him, the promise of winter in the air. Through the bare branches, he could watch people as they passed in the park.

“Are you stuck up there?”

Chat looked down, his eyes meeting bright blue ones and a red mask.

“Y’know, cause cats… nevermind.” Ladybug lifted herself into the tree.

Chat Noir hadn’t told Ladybug he loved her since they’d started dating. He hadn’t loved before, he realized now. He hadn’t known her, he’d idolized her. He was glad he knew that, glad he was able to acknowledge it. The terrible part was that he wasn’t sure if he was in love with her now.

Yes, she was amazing. He was in awe of her. Of her strength, her courage, her kindness. But he was also aware that even now, he didn’t know every part of her. She didn’t know every part of him.

So he hadn’t said he loved her yet. And he was perfectly fine with that.

“Are you okay?” Her hand rested on his shoulder.

“Yeah,” he said.

“You don’t look okay.”

Adrien shrugged. He scooted further up the branch, making room for Ladybug. She sat in the now-empty space, their sides pressed together.

“I’m alright. Bad day, but I’m alright.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“Not really.” Adrien pulled back a twig and released it, watching it spring forward. “It’s just, kind of his job to love me, y’know? And when he can’t even say it, it makes me wonder…” He didn’t want to finish that thought.

“Silly kitty.” Ladybug booped Chat’s nose. “Of course I lov--”

He pressed a finger to her lips. “Don’t say it yet.”

She was confused for a moment, before nodding and placing her hand on hers, moving it away from her mouth.

“Okay.”

She couldn’t kiss him, not in the park. So instead she tangled their fingers together and rested her head on his chest. He didn’t want to ruin this, not yet. They stayed up in the tree for some time, holding each other, both wondering how long they could go on like this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a bit of drama is necessary every now and then, don't you think?


	27. not worried

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happened yesterday didn't bother Marinette at all. Nope. Not one bit.

Marinette told herself she wasn’t worried about it. That it was fine. Chat hadn’t done anything to hurt her. He was clearly upset yesterday.

But some part of her was freaking out. She’d almost told Chat she loved him! Something she wasn’t aware she was going to do until the words had left her mouth. And Chat had… stopped her. He didn’t want her to say she loved him. Why?

He’d said he loved her, months ago. Now she wanted to tell him the same thing. She knew their identities were making this messy. Sneaking off to go on secret dates, only ever seeing each other in mask. It wasn’t perfect. But it was what they had.

“Marinette, are you sure you’re okay?”

Once again, Marinette was refusing to tell her kwami anything. Surely Tikki knew something, though maybe not the exact words. And surely she would know that Marinette didn’t want to talk about it. She wanted to overthink and then talk about it, later.

“I’m going to bed,” she said, climbing up onto her loft.

“Marinette.”

“ _Goodnight,_ Tikki.” Marinette turned off her light, pulling her blanket up to her chin. She loved Chat. Why didn’t he want her to say that?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> everything is fine.


	28. it's a date

Chat Noir could tell when Ladybug was stressed. She rushed through akuma fights, called her Lucky Charm earlier than usual, and didn’t keep up their banter. Normally, his solution would be to invite her to hang out later that day. But he hadn’t gotten a chance to ask her after the battle today. Her timer was almost up (she’d called her Charm early), and she barely had time for a “ _ bien joue _ ” before leaving.

Adrien’s own timer was beeping, so he had to leave quickly as well. Once he got home--to a thankfully empty afternoon--he collapsed into his desk chair and threw half a wheel of cheese at Plagg. He had homework to do, but he also wanted to make sure Ladybug was okay.

“Do you know what Ladybug was stressed about?” he asked Plagg. He might not admit it, but Adrien knew that Plagg kept tabs on Ladybug’s civilian identity.

“No.”

“It wasn’t something I did, was it?”

“I don’t think so, kid. And if it was anything bad, Tikki would’ve told me.”

“Okay.” Adrien opened his history textbook, then closed it. “Is it okay if I transform for a minute?”

Plagg ate the last of his cheese. “Make it quick, kid.”

Unsurprisingly, Ladybug didn’t answer his call, so Adrien left her message.

“Hey, Bug. You seemed stressed today. I know we don’t have patrol tonight, but if you want, we can meet up and talk. I don’t have any plans, so pick a time and place and I’ll be there.”

Adrien felt a lot better after that, knowing he’d at least done something. He’d finished his history reading and was digging through his bookbag for his calculator when Plagg landed on his shoulder. And he felt even better an hour later when Plagg told him that Ladybug had texted, and they scheduled a date for the next day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> poor kid doesn't know what he did. (or what's about to happen)


	29. ladybug makes a plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ladybug gets ready for her date with Chat.

Marinette was Ladybug. She was determined. She was smart. She was good at making plans. Chat didn’t seem to remember what had happened. She was fine with that. She didn’t want the first time she said she loved him to be comforting him about his father, anyway.

She knew which roof he’d first said he loved her on. (The date she’d stood him up on). She knew there’d been roses and candles. She knew where to buy roses and candles. Marinette was Ladybug. She had a plan. She was going to tell Chat she loved him, and she was going to be romantic as hell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ..yeah, i had a lot of fun writing this.


	30. second time's the charm

Everything was perfect. Marinette admired her work. Roses. Candles. A bottle of wine her parents would have questions about. Stars were beginning to peek through the clouds. It wasn’t raining, and she hadn’t set anything on fire other than the candles.

“Woah.” Chat Noir climbed over the railing, punctual as always. A rose she’d tied to it fell off.

“Do you like it?”

“Of course, it’s wonderful.” The candlelight played on his face. “But… why?”

“I don’t need an excuse to do something nice for my boyfriend.” Ladybug smiled, grabbing his hand.

She picked up the one rose she’d left in the center of the roof and held it out to him. He didn’t take it, so she closed the distance between them and kissed him.

He broke the kiss, staring at the rose. “What are you trying to do?”

He wasn’t going to take the rose. Ladybug dropped it, no reaction evident on Chat’s face.

“I… I don’t know,” she said. “I wanted to make it up to you, and tell you that I--”

“Please don’t.”

“Why? You interrupted me at the park, you’re interrupting me now too. Why does this scare you so much? You’ve said it, on this very roof,  _ you’re _ allowed to say it, and I’m not?”

Chat crossed his arms, looking anywhere but her. “I haven’t said it since we got together.”

“So… you don’t love me anymore?”

“I don’t know if I ever did.”

“You told me you loved me! And now what? You won’t let me say it, you won’t say it, how is that fair? What changed?”

“Well, I don’t even know your name!”

Ladybug didn’t have a response to that. Because he was right. He didn’t know her name, and she didn’t know his. She sat down, physically exhausted from the argument.

“We have patrol tomorrow,” she said. “Don’t be late.”

They weren’t going to do the not-talking thing again. Marinette had a day. A day to figure something out to undo tonight. Maybe not undo it, but start moving past it. The answer was glaringly obvious, the solution she’d avoided for reasons even she didn’t know.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> communication: coming soon to theaters near you*
> 
> *some angst may precede


	31. fix a mess

“I screwed up, Plagg. I screwed up so bad.” What was he thinking? Cutting her off like that, yelling at her? They said they would make it work,  _ why wasn’t it working? _

“Adrien…” Plagg hovered in his face, worried.

He couldn’t stop the tears once they started. He messed up. He got into a fight with his girlfriend. Ladybug was going to break up with him. She’d never let him call him anything other than Ladybug ever again. She’d never call him anything other than Chat Noir ever again.

“Is this about your identities?” Plagg asked.

Adrien nodded, not able to speak through his tears.

“You want to know her identity?”

Adrien nodded.

“And you want her to know yours?”

He nodded again.

“Kid, there’s nothing wrong with saying what you feel.”

“No, but there  _ is _ something wrong with the way I said it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> last night my brain had the great idea to rewrite almost everything starting at chapter 32, so updates might slow down. I'm trying to keep my 42 chapter counts because hitchhiker's guide, but even that may change. (there will be significantly more drama than I was planning on)


	32. plan in pieces

Ladybug didn’t hate Chat. She loved him. But he didn’t love her. He’d practically said so, he hadn’t said he did since they’d started dating. Marinette thought you were supposed to fall in love with someone you were with, not  _ out _ of love.

She had to think of something to do, some way to rectify this. They were both in the wrong. She should’ve taken a hint when she’d first tried to say she loved him. He should’ve been kinder tonight. 

She didn’t want to break up with him--she didn’t know if she could stand that. But right now, she really didn’t want to plan. She wanted to crawl into bed and cry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> meanwhile, my sister whistles the flintstones. (it's been three days) (every time i sit down to write she's just... there. whistling.)


	33. communication is key

Chat Noir showed up to patrol with an apology on his lips. He’d spent the whole day trying to figure out what he was going to say when they saw each other--and hoping there wouldn’t be an akuma. Ladybug was already there, sitting on the peak of the roof, her back to a chimney stack.

“I am so sorry about last night, Buga-- Ladybug. I’m not mad at you, and I don’t want you to think that I am. What I said wasn’t kind, but it  _ was _ based in my feelings. It’s hard to date you without knowing your name.”

“I know.” Ladybug had her arms wrapped around her waist protectively. “And someday, I  _ will _ tell you who I am.”

Chat sat down next to her, close but not touching.

“If we need to… if this isn’t going to work out before that…” Ladybug’s face was hidden, but he could hear the tears in her voice.

“No, it will. It will work, we can make it.” Adrien put his hand on her shoulder, unsure of how much comfort he was providing--and who it was for. “You’re Ladybug, you always have a plan. Please say you have a plan.”

Ladybug hugged him, leaning into his chest. “I have a plan,” she whispered.

Adrien kissed her forehead, his arms around her in a tight hug.

“I have a plan.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the much awaited communication (?)


	34. vague outline

Marinette had a vague outline of a plan. The details were nonexistent, and it wasn’t a Lucky-Charm-defeat-the-villain plan, but it was… sort of a plan.

She’d seen Chat since that night--there’d been multiple akumas. But they hadn’t had any patrols scheduled, and neither of them was trying to schedule more. Not that they didn’t want to see each other, more that they didn’t want to talk about what had happened.

So the moment she saw Chat out by himself, she had shot out of her chair and up onto the balcony.

Ladybug’s toes grazed the roof as she landed next to him.

“I really do have a plan,” she said.

“You do?” He turned around to face her, letting her take his hand in hers.

“Yeah. And part one is… well, you don’t have to say anything back. I’m not expecting you to. But I can’t just leave something unsaid, especially when it’s the truth.” Marinette kept her eyes on his hand, the claws resting on her palm and her thumb over his ring. “Chat Noir, I love you.”

He didn’t say anything; of course he didn’t, but he smiled, and that was enough.

“Wanna know what part two is?” she asked, pulling on his arm so that he’d step closer.

Chat put a hand on her waist. “Yeah.”

“This,” Marinette said, rising to her toes and kissing him. She moved her hands up his arms to his shoulders, her fingers teasing at the ends of his hair. It was slow and deliberate, luxuriating in the feeling, this moment, the absolute contentment.

The words were still humming in her head. _Chat Noir, I love you. I love you_ _… and I want you to know my name._

Wait. What?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ah, finally the rest of that communi- oh. that? yeah, that.


	35. masks

Part of Adrien wanted to tell Ladybug he loved her. But he’d as much as said he couldn’t until he knew her identity--stupid. That wasn’t true. It was as far as she knew, though. And now if he told her, she’d probably think it was only because she’d said it and he thought he ‘had to’ or something. So he was going to wait. A week, maybe.

Plagg thought he should “stop overthinking and tell the girl you love her already, this is painful for everyone involved, and that unfortunately includes me.”

The hardest part, Adrien had learned, was the _secret_ part of secretly dating Ladybug. Because he wanted to hug her--hell, he wanted to kiss her--after akumas, but she stuck solidly to a fist bump. For good reason.

Having resigned himself to the fist bumps, he held his arm out as she waved away a white butterfly.

“ _Bien jou é! _”

Ladybug’s fist lingered on his longer than normal. She was looking at him strangely, her head tilted, her eyes flitting across his face.

“What?” he asked.

Ladybug smiled, and it wasn’t just the light making her face look pink. She grabbed his wrist and he leaned forward, their faces inches apart. Her eyes were wide, studying… what? The material of his mask?

In one motion, she lifted her face to his and brushed her lips to his cheek, the edge of his mask. He expected her to say something, but she didn’t, giving him a last look before flying away on her yoyo.

What was _that_ about?


	36. decisions, decisions

Marinette didn’t typically spend much time on the Ladyblog. It was weird to read articles about herself, and anything she needed to know she was getting from Alya. But she found herself clicking through images from this week’s fights. At first, Ladybug had been an entirely different person to Marinette. She still was, in some ways, but she’d noticed more and more ‘Ladybug’ slipping into her civilian life.

And now there was Chat Noir. He’d always been there. But now he was  _ there. _ She loved him. They were together. And something in the back of her mind wanted to tell him her identity.  _ Should _ she tell him? It was such a big question.

There were the cons: her identity wouldn’t technically be a secret anymore. If an akuma controlled him, he might give her away. It was dangerous.

Then there were the pros: he’d know her name. They could (hopefully) date as civilians. As he’d pointed out, if they knew each other, they could cover for disappearances. They could work together better. There’d been fights where they would’ve benefited from one detransforming and helping the other as a civilian.

Chat Noir, midair with his baton extended, overtook Marinette’s computer screen.

“Tikki?” she asked, desperate for any help.

“It’s your decision, Marinette.”

Like that helped at all. She had so much to think about, so many possible outcomes to consider… but in the end, the same part of her brain that told her she loved him was telling her an answer: Yes. Yes she would reveal identity. And who was she to argue with that?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow, I really like ending chapters with questions.
> 
> (Sorry about missing yesterday's update, this chapter took me longer to write than I expected.)


	37. i'll be there

“Can we talk?” Ladybug asked the minute the news station had packed up and left the scene of the akuma.

“Is something wrong?” Chat asked, following her away from the park. “You have four minutes left.”

Instead of answering, Ladybug grabbed his arm. She pulled him toward her, her other hand already in his hair as she pressed her lips to his.

“That’s not really talking,” he mumbled before returning the kiss.

Ladybug took her hand out of his hair, using it to guide him forward as she backed herself into the alley wall. Adrien had his hands on her sides, a thumb hooked on the yoyo string wrapped around her hips. He moved his lips away from hers, kissing along her jaw, down her neck to the high collar of her suit--

“I want to reveal our identities.”

Chat pulled back, his hands falling off her waist. “Now?”

“No!” Ladybug’s cheeks were bright pink, her lips swollen. “Tonight.”

Chat felt dizzy. She’d changed her mind, _she’d changed her mind._

“Unless you don’t want to, or maybe not tonight, or--”

“Okay.”

“Okay?”

“Yeah,” Adrien said. “Normal place, normal time?”

Ladybug nodded. Her earring beeped. One minute left.

“I’ll be there.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *scrambling to write the last five chapters*


	38. twelve (dying) roses

Marinette was going to tell Chat Noir her identity tonight. A night that she was going to be late for.

She was fully prepared to run the four blocks to their meeting place. As she was casting her yoyo, a lit window caught her eye. She didn’t think florists typically stayed open this late. She should bring Chat flowers. It seemed like a nice thing to do. She jumped down from her balcony and detransformed. Better not to draw attention to Ladybug buying flowers.

It must have been a popular florist because there were hardly any bouquets left when she entered. The only roses left were the picked-over ones, torn petals or drooping slightly. She bought twelve, then transformed and walked to their meeting spot.

Chat wasn’t there yet. Sometimes he was even later than her.

So she sat down, leaning against the wall and waited. There was a crack in the pavement where her foot rested. Across from her was a dirty wall, a patch of white paint covering graffiti that was already beginning to show again as the paint over it rubbed away. She moved the bouquet onto her lap, sighing. Where was he?

She kept her eyes focused only on the roses she held. She counted the petals--thirty-two on one, thirty-seven on another. She tried not to check the time. But a half an hour passed, then an hour, and when it had been two hours of sitting and waiting and counting the petals to keep herself from crying, she left.

Marinette dropped the flowers. She didn’t want them. She hoped Chat would pass by it and see them. A dozen roses in the alley, bruised petals and drooping stems.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *hides*


	39. a peony

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All those comments asking if Adrien bought all the flowers... nope, I just wanted to title the chapter twelve (dying) roses.

When Marinette woke up the next day, Tikki told her she had a message from Chat. He was asking her to meet him that afternoon. He’d also apologized, but said he wanted to explain what had happened in person.

Marinette was hurt, but she hadn’t wanted to do the not-talking thing before, and she still stood by that. So she sucked it up, transformed when school let out, and went to find him.

He jumped up when he saw her. “You came.”

“Yeah.”

“I’m sorry about last night,” Chat started. “I’m so, so sorry. I got held up at a-- at work. I couldn’t get away; believe me, I tried. If I left without permission... it could've been bad. I should’ve come anyway. I’m sorry, and I get it if you don’t want to reveal ourselves now.”

Ladybug watched him as he spoke, waving his arms around. He seemed genuine. There were a million things she wanted to say to him, but all that came out was, “You were working until 23h?”

Chat shrugged. “It was a lighting thing.”

Neither of them had anything to add, so they just stood there, observing the other.

It was Chat who broke the silence, his apology still unanswered. “Are you-- are we good?”

“I don’t know.” Marinette turned her eyes away from his.

“I love you.”

Marinette’s eyes flicked back up to him in shock. His shoulders are down, his expression uncertain. He looks… defeated, almost, but that doesn’t sound right. Vulnerable. He looks vulnerable.

“I love you, Bug. You know I wouldn’t say it if I weren’t true. I love you, and I swear, I didn’t mean to hurt you, so please, _please,_ give me another chance.”

“Okay.”

“Okay?” he said, surprised that she agreed.

“I love you too, minou,” Marinette reminded him, smiling.

“Tomorrow? 21h30? I know I can be there.”

Marinette nodded, stepping towards him. It was then that she noticed he was holding a flower, loose in his grip at his side. Her smile faltered. “I bought you flowers.”

“I saw.”

She gestured to the one he was holding. “What is it?”

“A peony.” He held it out to her, their hands meeting at the stem when she reached for it.

Marinette allowed herself a small smile before pulling him in for a kiss. He returned it, cautiously at first and then determined, putting the hand that’s not holding the flower on the small of her back. But they really shouldn’t be making out on a roof in the middle of the day, so she pulls away.

“I love you,” she whispered, because it seemed like the right thing to do.

“I love you too.” Chat lifted their hands, the flower still held there, to his lips. He kissed the back of hers, like he always did. She curled her fingers around the stem, and he let go, leaving her with the peony.

She tilted her head to him before she left, knowing he was watching.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise nothing :)


	40. 0.00000784%

“For real this time?” Chat asked, holding her hand. They had found a well-hidden nook in a park, covered by trees. Street lamps filtered in through the branches, striping Chat’s face with light.

“For real,” she agreed.

He lifted her hand and kissed the spot on the back of her wrist. She pushed their hands to their sides, raising to her toes to kiss him.

“You’re amazing,” he whispered, moving his kisses away from her mouth, along the edge of her mask. He pressed a final kiss to the spot between her eyes, then put their foreheads together. His eyes were closed, so Marinette closed hers as well.

“Claws in.”

“Spots off.”

She felt his claws disappear, their suits leaving their hands skin-on-skin.

“Marinette,” Chat said, squeezing her hand. “You can look.”

She opened her eyes, their faces still so close all she can see is his eyes. She knew they were green from when he’d been Mister Bug, but she hadn’t realized how green. The same color they were when he was transformed. Breathtakingly bright, shockingly familiar--so green it should be illegal.

* * *

She tore her gaze away from them, down to his shoulders and the white jacket she knows all too well.

Adrien knew the exact moment she realized it was him because she gasped. It was such a Marinette sound he almost laughed.  _ Of course _ it was Marinette. Who else could it have been?

She blushed, smiling and shaking her head and lost for words. Adrien wrapped his arms around her for a hug. Like so many times before, she buried her face in his chest, the top of her head tucked under his chin. Her breath shook, prompting Adrien to hold her tighter.

“Are you crying?”

“No,” she said, her voice muffled by his shirt and her own laughter.

Adrien tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, Marinette lifting her head from his chest. He leaned down and kissed her--Marinette, his lady, his princess.

She broke the kiss, her eyes sparkling. “Adrien Agreste, I love you.”

“I love you too, Marinette.”

Marinette’s smile widened and she pulled him in for another kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah well, had to happen eventually.


	41. we should talk

Chat Noir leaned against a beam of the Eiffel Tower, hoping Ladybug--Marinettte--had gotten his message. He hadn’t bothered to wait for a response before heading to the meeting spot he’d chosen, mainly because Ladybug didn’t always answer an invitation like that, instead just showing up.

He’d been right; Ladybug swung down in front of him two minutes after he arrived. The start of a sunset shone on her back, an orange glow on her red suit.

“Hey,” he said.

“Hey.” Marinette wrapped her yoyo back around her waist.

“So, today was weird.”

“Today was weird,” she agreed. Neither of them had known what to say to the other, so they hadn’t said anything at all.

“I’d like it not to be weird.”

“Me too.” Marinette leaned against the same beam as him, side to side.

Adrien kept his face forward, glancing at her through his peripheral. “I’d also like to date as civilians.”

She hummed in reply, tilting her head up to the array of iron above them.

Realizing she wasn’t going to make this easy for him, Adrien turned to face her. Quietly, making sure no one below heard him use her name, he said, “Marinette Dupain-Cheng, will you be my girlfriend?”

Even though they were already dating, her cheeks turned pink, a smile on her face. “Yes.”

The lights on the Eiffel Tower flickered to life, bathing them in a golden glow. They moved to kiss each other, Marinette’s hands at his waist as his hands found the sharp edges of her shoulder blades. One kiss became two, then three, and a fourth left on her forehead, Adrien amazed by his ability to so often find himself in utter awe of this girl.

Ladybug ducked away, unhooking her yoyo. She held its string in one hand, the other extended to Adrien. “Shall we?”

Adrien took her hand. “We shall.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My brain moves quickly and it wants me to hurry up with the ladynoir so it can move on to a marichat idea, similarly drabble-esque to this one.


	42. bad luck

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A fluffy ending for these idiots.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are you ready for the end? No?

Valentine’s day, as expected, brought with it an akuma. It wasn’t Marinette’s idea of the perfect date, but it wasn’t like she and Adrien didn’t already have dinner plans.

They hadn’t gotten much of a chance to talk at school--and they were trying to avoid being _that_ couple--so Marinette was exhibiting a lot of self-control as Ladybug and Chat Noir helped reorientate a heartbroken woman and fielded reporters’ questions.

Adrien was rambling on about something (how anyone was understanding him through all the puns was beyond her) while Marinette picked through the mostly repaired mess in her last few minutes. Everything had been fixed, but also returned to where it was before the attack. Several empty picnics were scattered about the park, slowly being claimed by couples returning to their dates.

Before she could think twice about it, Marinette picked up a rose that was laying in the path. She turned to Adrien, who had finally gotten the reporters to leave.

“I’m not taking that,” he said when she all but shoved the flower under his nose.

“Why not?”

“It’s bad luck.”

“Bad luck,” she repeated doubtfully.

“Every time we’ve tried to give each other roses, it hasn’t ended well. So they’re bad luck.”

Marinette dropped the rose. “Okay, they’re bad luck.” She crushed it under her heel for good measure.

Adrien laughed, his hand finding hers.

“I’ve got two minutes left,” she said.

He kissed the back of her hand. “I’ll see you tonight, my lady.”

Marinette let her hand fall back to her side, resting on her yoyo. “I love you,” she whispered, so no one else in the park would hear.

Adrien, his baton readied for travel, grinned. “I love you too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAAA!!! We've finished! Thanks to all who've left kudos and comments, it's very much appreciated and puts a smile on my face. I hope you've enjoyed the rollercoaster that is me saying "what if I add more drama" arguably more than necessary. You now know why the almost-reveal chapter happened, and why the roses were involved (I got absolutely stuck on the "roses are bad luck" thing, and wanted to really drive in the point earlier in the fic).
> 
> If you're still craving ladynoir, [i don't need you; i choose you](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23662318) could totally serve as an epilogue to this story
> 
> Thanks again for sticking around to the end. So long, and thanks for all the fish!


End file.
